The present invention relates to wheeled luggage that can be safely used as a seat.
Air travelers typically have a piece of carry on luggage that can be stowed in the overhead bin of the airplane, or under the seat in front of the traveler. In view of the long distances most travelers must walk at an airport, the most popular type of carry on luggage is one that has a pair of wheels and an extendable/retractable handle that allows the traveler to tow the luggage on a towing surface such as a floor.
Airports have become more and more crowded, and security lines longer and longer. Seats in the immediate area of a departure gate are often all taken. Seating is not available in security lines, in baggage claim areas, in car rental lines, and other places.
Suggestions have been made to attach a seat to wheeled luggage to provide the traveler with a place to sit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,447 describes seats that swivel upwardly from the front or back sides of a wheeled suitcase.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,427 describes a wheeled suitcase with a chair that folds down from the front side.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0231939 describes a seat that can be swivelled upwardly from the back side of a wheeled suitcase.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0098402 describes a wheeled suitcase that has a lounge chair that can be swivelled upwardly from the front side when the suitcase is laid down on its back side.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0194226 describes a wheeled suitcase that has a seat that can be swivelled downwardly from the back side.
All of these devices are complicated, add unwanted weight to the luggage, and are unsafe as the wheels may cause the suitcase to move when being used as a seat.
Attempts to sit on top of a wheeled suitcase is likewise unsafe due to the high potential for movement of the suitcase.